ted ro roland live in south ben indiana. >> reporter: this morning, a lot of questions out there. one thing absolutely clear this morning, here in south bend, the university of notre dame is standing by their star football player. university of notre dame athletic director fought back tears while discussing manti te'o at a late news conference. he is convinced that te'o was the victim of an elaborate hoax. >> the thick i am most sad of, sad about, is -- sorry. the single most trusting human being i have ever met will never be able to trust in the same way again in his life. >> reporter: during the football season, the story of the star linebacker losing his grandmother and girlfriend on the same day were touched. they were touched by how in love he was with the girl he called his soul mate. >> i cried, i yelled, never felt that way before. six hours ago i found out grandma passed away, and you take the love of my life. >> reporter: on the day of his girlfriend's supposed funeral, te'o played football. after the game, notre dame's football coach, brian kelly, awarded the football w